Sweet Sixteen
by Mouse9
Summary: The sap is back! Helga turns sixteen and someone's planning something special.
1. Default Chapter

Yes, the sap girl is back. That darn tree has got to stop getting in my way.   
Okay, we all know that I am not Craig B, so therefore Arnold and the others don't belong to me. But if they did, I'd let you all play nicely with them  
There is a sequel to this one called Prom Night. I just haven't finished it yet, but It will be up ...soon...as soon as I finish all the other plot bunnies. (Stand on chair, holding broom swinging at bunnies)   
  
  
  
*Good morning sunny Hillside! It's 5:45 on a beautiful Friday morning, and we're bringing  
you the hottest music on this generation...*  
  
An arm snaked out from under the covers to hit the snooze button, effectively cutting off  
the DJ and the music. Covers were pulled back slowly as her eyes adjusted to the sun  
streaming in through the window.  
  
Another day and...oh god it's THAT day.  
  
Sighing heavily, she slid out of bed, looking at her yawning self in her closet mirror.   
Wrinkling her nose, she opened the closet and searched for something to wear, finally  
deciding on a pink spring dress. Grabbing her clothes, she walked into the bathroom to  
begin her morning routine.  
  
An hour later, she reentered her bedroom; dressed, her hair plaited down the middle of  
her back, humming a nameless tune.  
  
Grabbing her bookbag, she opened her desk drawer and picked up a picture. This was the  
ending part to her daily ritual. Tracing the face in the picture, she smiled softly, then  
replaced the picture and left her room.  
  
She walked down the stairs and out the door, ignoring her father bellowing for Olga. At  
age 14, she had told her father in no uncertain terms that she was no longer going to  
answer to her sister's name. They hadn't spoken much since then.  
  
She walked down the street to catch the bus for school, her mind no longer thinking on  
the date, only that it was Friday and she only had eight more hours of school until she  
could escape for the weekend.  
  
  
She was at her locker after second hour when a masculine arm wrapped around her waist.  
"Hey pretty in pink," a voice said low in her ear. "What are you doing tonight?"  
"Move the fingers Geraldo," she stated, glancing back at him slightly. "Or I tell your  
girlfriend what you told me last night."  
"Girl, I didn't even see you last night."  
She sighed dramatically. "How soon they forget." She glanced further back to her  
giggling best friend standing behind them.   
"Hey Phoebs, call off the dog, okay?"  
"Calling." the oriental girl sang out.  
Phoebe and Gerald had started dating their first year of high school and they hadn't  
stopped yet. Because of their relationship, Helga had found herself actually becoming  
friends with Gerald. Which was odd, because she didn't have much to do with his best  
friend anymore, other than the occasional double chaperoning of the couple.  
  
"So," Gerald asked again. "What are you doing this o' so special evening?"  
She frowned. "What are you talking about?"  
Phoebe leaned in, handing Helga a bag. "Happy Birthday, Helga."  
Her eyes widened, as she took the bag. "You told him?"  
" I had to. I needed to stop by the store to pick up the bag and he was with me."  
"What's the big deal?" Gerald asked. "Why don't you want anyone to know it's your  
birthday?"  
"Because it isn't a big deal. It's just another day. When people find out, except for  
Phoebe, they tend to make a huge deal over it and it gets messy."  
Gerald grinned, his brown eyes gleaming. "Ohh, messy. I like messy."  
"Down boy," she said opening the bag. Inside was a CD she'd had her eye on last month  
and a new pink journal. The journal was an every year occurrence. Helga looked up at  
Phoebe, smiling.  
"Thanks Phoebe. I really wanted this CD."  
"I know. Read the card."  
She slid the card out of the bag and opened it. The front picture showed only a large  
banana split sundae with a spoon.   
"Hope you get everything you want for your birthday." The inside of the card read.   
Phoebe had signed her name and added a little something on the bottom.  
  
"Sweet sixteen, don't you think it's time you splurged?"  
  
Helga looked up into the knowing look of her friend.  
Thanks Phoebe, I'll keep that in mind."  
What is it with you two and ice cream?" Gerald asked, shaking his head. "Ever since I've  
known you two, you've both had this fascination for ice cream."  
"There isn't anything wrong with ice cream," Phoebe stated innocently, her green eyes  
taking on the same wicked gleam her boyfriend's had held earlier. "Especially with hot  
fudge and whipped cream."  
"My virgin ears don't need to hear this." Helga stated and turned to walk away only to run  
right into someone. Before she could lose her balance, a hand shot out, grabbing her by  
the arm and pulling her upright.  
Behind her, Phoebe snickered and Helga immediately knew who she had run into.  
"Why are you always where I'm walking?" she snapped, pushing past him and walking on  
to her class.  
A pair of green eyes watched her walk away wistfully, then turned back to the  
couple.  
"Is she always this bitchy on her birthday?" he asked.  
Phoebe nodded. "And she'll be even more irate when she discovers I told you. She was  
quite upset Gerald knew."  
Arnold looked back towards the direction Helga had left, and shrugged.  
"Doesn't matter. It's her sixteenth birthday. And everyone at least deserves that day to be  
special." 


	2. Chapter Two

Literature.   
  
The only class she had with Arnold.   
  
It was almost fitting. She sighed softly, half listening to the teacher, watching him through half lidded eyes. He had grown up rather well. His small frame had been replaced  
with a tall and well defined body. He wasn't football player size big, but he was proportioned  
enough to make most of the girls take notice. His hair was a little shorter than it was  
when he was younger, and it no longer stuck out in all directions. He'd also outgrown his  
blue cap.  
  
In short, he was just a wonder to watch, and she was enjoying watching him. Not that shewould ever let him know, of course.   
  
Her girlhood crush had first turned into adolescent fantasies, then finally to what she could almost define as actual love. To watch him made her smile; to hear him talk made her  
knees go weak, and when he spoke to her...it was almost sinful what her mind  
thought up.  
  
Vaguely, she could hear the teacher discussing the works of Emily Dickinson and smiled.   
What a perfect theme for today.  
Softly, she began to hum happy birthday to herself.   
  
Arnold was barely listening to the teacher drone on about poetry, instead writing himself notes on what he needed to buy and get ready for that night.  
He'd found out from Gerald last week that today was Helga's sixteenth birthday. Of  
course, Gerald told him most of the things he'd found out about Helga since he'd starting  
dating Phoebe. Only Gerald knew his secret. That somewhere in sixth grade, he had  
fallen for Helga Pataki. He didn't know when, he didn't know how. Just one day he  
started thinking about her differently.  
  
Gerald, in his usual fashion, had asked him if he had truly gone insane, but after he started  
dating Phoebe, he gradually came to see what Arnold had already known...that she wasn't  
as horrible as they'd once thought.  
  
Of course it didn't hurt that she was stunning. She was once the tallest girl in the class and had finally grown into that. Her long legs were only accented by the curves that puberty  
had given to her. She was slim, but not skinny slim. She had filled out perfectly in all the  
right places. Her face carried a delicate feature not many people saw, her eyebrows were  
perfectly shaped and her golden blond hair had reached mid waist. How could he not fall  
for her.  
  
He was just nervous about telling her. She used to torment the hell out of him when they  
were younger, and now, she was nice to him, but she tried not to be around him very  
often. Only when they did the chaperoning dates with Phoebe and Gerald.  
He knew for a fact that she didn't have a boyfriend. That was one thing she had told him,  
she didn't feel the need to cave into peer pressure and pretend to be happy in a fake  
relationship. She was waiting for the right man.  
  
He really wanted to be the right man.  
  
Glancing back at her, he was surprised to see her looking his way. Her eyes   
carried a far-away look and there was a hint of a smile on her face. He took that opportunity to  
look at her. Her little pink spring dress was short sleeved, came just above the  
knee and was low enough to show only the barest hint of cleavage. Her hair was braided  
and hung down her back. She was wearing pink strappy sandals and her fingernails and  
toenails were painted pink. One thing that would never change about her.   
  
She would always love pink.  
  
Gerald had informed him a while back that she had an obsession with old Molly Ringwaldmovies, especially 'Pretty in Pink',' Sixteen Candles', and 'The Breakfast Club'. He'd gone outand rented' Sixteen Candles' when he'd found out about her birthday.   
He thought it was an incredibly stupid movie, but he did get a great idea from the last  
scene.  
  
Sighing, he turned back around going back to his list. He needed to get all these things  
ready, but none of this was going to matter if he didn't bother to talk to her to set this plan  
into motion.  
  
  
Luckily for him, Phoebe and Gerald had already made a contingency plan just in case.   
Helga eyed the two warily.   
"Dinner?"  
"Yep."  
"The three of us?"  
"Four."  
"Four?"  
Gerald nodded. "Arnold is going with us also. Just four friends going to dinner."  
"What's the catch?"  
"No catch." He told her. "Phoebe and I were just talking."  
"Everyone should at least have one good birthday." Phoebe explained, bailing out a  
drowning Gerald. "And the sixteenth birthday is supposed to be the right of passage for  
women. You shouldn't have to go home to your parents and spend your sixteenth  
birthday alone, Helga."  
Helga smiled, her eyes bright. She hugged the smaller girl.   
"To tell you the truth, I really wasn't looking foreword to going home tonight anyway."  
"Then it's settled. You come home with me and hang out at my house, then the four of us  
will go out to dinner."  
"Deal." she glared at Gerald. "No ideas about doing the stupid singing waiters or you'll  
live to regret it."  
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "I know, I know. Phoebe already threatened me."  
"And Arnold doesn't find out." she added. "It's bad enough you know."  
"Know what?" Arnold asked walking up to the trio. He and Gerald did their handshake.  
"That we're going to dinner tonight." Gerald stated, looking pointedly at his best friend.  
Arnold gave him a look of thanks, then smiled at the two girls.  
"Who?"  
"The four of us." Helga stated. He looked at her slightly confused.  
"Did we have a chaperoning date tonight I forgot about?"  
Phoebe smiled slightly. "No. It's just the four of us for dinner."  
"As friends." Gerald added.  
"Someplace nice." Phoebe concluded.  
Arnold looked at Helga, who was leaning against her locker watching the two amusingly.   
She glanced over at him, then shrugged.  
"Don't look at me. They came up with this on their own. I warned you about leaving  
them alone for too long."  
He laughed. "What time do you want to meet?"  
"Does six sound good?" Gerald asked.  
Helga scowled suddenly. "I forgot. I do have to go home for a bit. I promised Bob I'd  
deliver some papers after school."  
"Okay. How about if I pick you up at six-thirty, and we'll meet them there?" Arnold  
suggested.  
"I can meet you guys there."  
He shook his head. "It's stupid to take three cars. It's on our way to the restaurant. No  
big deal."  
She nodded. "Okay. Six-thirty, then." 


	3. Chapter Three

He pulled up to her house exactly on time and honked the horn. He learned a long time ago not to get out and knock on the door of the Pataki household.  
The door opened and she walked out, pulling a sweater on over her dress. Sliding into the  
car, she shut the door and leaned against the seat.  
"Go." was all she said.  
"Rough day?" he asked, pulling away from the house and driving towards the restaurant.   
"Bob wanted me to stay home and entertain his clients. After I pointed out, again, that I  
was not Olga, I told him I was going out."  
Arnold nodded knowingly. He'd been around Helga long enough to know what her father  
was like then he didn't get what he wanted.  
Helga sighed heavily. "I just want this day over."  
"Am I that boring?" he asked, faking a hurt tone.  
She shook her head. "It's not you, it's just this day."  
"Well, it's bound to get better."  
She smirked. "It couldn't get any worse."  
  
Dinner was exactly as Phoebe had promised. Relaxing. Just four friend having dinner  
together. And no embarrassing servers singing "Happy Birthday".  
  
Phoebe watched as slowly Helga began to relax and enjoy herself. At that moment, she  
and Arnold were having a discussion on something that had happened in their Lit class.   
Phoebe sat back and watched the unconscious tell-tale signs of flirting taking place  
between the two  
.  
After school, Gerald had broke down and explained what Arnold had planned and why.   
Phoebe was flabbergasted. After swearing Gerald to secrecy, she told him Helga's secret,  
including the real meaning of ice cream.  
  
She smiled slyly, watching them interact. This had gone on for far too long. If tonight  
didn't work, there was always plan B.  
  
  
After saying goodnight to Phoebe and Gerald, Helga slid into Arnold's car and sighed.   
The dinner was the most fun she'd had in weeks. She really didn't want to go home yet.  
"Before I drop you off, do you mind if we stop by my house?" he asked, almost reading  
her mind. "I want to show you something."  
She shrugged. "Sure."  
He pulled up at the boarding house and was out and around to her side before she could  
get out of the car. His green eyes were alight with nervous excitement as he took her  
hand. As they entered the boarding house, she noticed everything was silent.  
"What's going on?" she asked, following him up the stairs.  
"It's one of those rare occasions when everyone had plans."  
Still holding her hand, he led her to the rooftop door.  
"I hope you like this." he told her, then opened the door.  
  
The roof was filled with the soft light of lanterns and in the middle was a table. She  
walked onto the roof, looking around.  
"It's beautiful. What's it for?"  
He walked over to the table and lifted a cover sitting on the table.   
"Happy Birthday."  
Helga spun around to see a cake sitting on the table. She looked up at him stunned. He  
would go through all this trouble just for her?  
"Don't be mad at Phoebe," he hurried to say. "I kinda pressured her to tell me."  
"Why?"  
He shrugged. "Everyone's sixteenth birthday should be special. And ever since I've  
known you, I don't think I've ever seen you have an actual birthday." He held out a small  
wrapped box. "So I decided to give you one."  
Helga still stood there, her eyes focused on the box he held.  
"You didn't have to." she said, her voice barely audible.  
"I know I didn't have to," he told her. "I wanted to."  
She walked over slowly, reaching out to take the box with shaking hands. Sitting down,  
she slowly unwrapped the box as if afraid it would suddenly disappear.  
Opening it, she lifted out the contents and gasped.  
  
"Arnold!"  
  
Inside was a small gold locket on a fragile chain. Smiling, he took it from her nerveless  
fingers and walking behind her, clasped it behind her neck.  
"It reminded me of you for some reason," he explained. "I hope you like it."  
"I love it," she breathed, lifting it from it's new home above her breastbone to look at it.  
Grinning, he went back over to the cake. She looked up.  
"Is that lemon?"  
He nodded, cutting off a piece.  
"How did you know I love lemon cake?" she asked.  
"Actually, that one was Gerald." he told her. "He said he'd overheard you mention it  
once. He also said something about ice cream, so I got some of that too."  
He lifted two small bowls of vanilla ice cream from a small cooler and placed them on the  
table. Next he pulled out a can of whipped cream and nuts and placed them on the table  
with a flourish.  
"Sorry, I like my ice cream with whipped cream and nuts." he told her, finally sitting down  
at the table. That was more than Helga could take. She started laughing hard, tears  
welling up in her eyes. He looked at her odd.  
"What's so funny?" he asked when her laughter began to subside.  
Still giggling, she looked up at him. "Not that I don't like the stuff, but ice cream, in the  
sense that Phoebe and I talk about it, is a code word for something else."  
He watched her expectantly, but she picked up her fork, refusing to say anything else.  
"This definitely has been one of the better birthdays I've had." she told him, after helping  
him clean up. He smiled at her.  
"It's not over yet."  
Reaching over, he pushed a button on the CD player. Music swelled out into the night air.  
"May I have this dance?" he asked.  
  
She stepped into his waiting arms. Closing her eyes, she relaxed, enjoying the feel of his  
arms around her, drinking in the scent of his cologne. She wished the night could stay this  
way forever.  
  
Arnold had finally found heaven. He couldn't believe everything had fallen into place so  
perfectly. She just felt so right being in his arms like this.  
"I can't believe you've never had a boyfriend." he said softly, still moving to the music.  
"Hmmm," was her reply. " Didn't we discuss this once before?"  
"Would you ever consider dating?"  
"Of course I'd consider it. I'm not a saint."  
"You've never been kissed?"  
"Of course I have. There was Romeo and Juliet and that part on Babewatch."  
"That was suppose to be resuscitation. I mean a real kiss."  
"You mean those weren't?"  
He smiled. "Sweet sixteen and never been kissed." he teased lightly.  
She stopped dancing, pulling away from him. "What's that suppose to mean?"  
"Exactly what it sounds like."  
"Hey, I've been kissed plenty of times."  
"Name one." he challenged. "It seems like every kiss you've gotten, I've been on the other  
end of."  
She ducked her head, her face burning. "So?" she mumbled.  
"So? Maybe I'd like to be your first real kiss also."  
Her head shot up, her face a mixture of confusion and hopefulness. Before she could  
make a comeback; he dipped his head, his lips meeting hers.  
She stood still for the briefest of seconds, then reached up, wrapping her arms around his  
neck, returning his kiss.  
  
It all felt perfect, her in his arms kissing him. The last empty part of him had been filled.   
She was the other part that he'd been missing all his life. Now if he could just convince  
her of that.  
  
They parted, him looking at her curiously, her breathing hard. She glanced up at him, her  
blue eyes twinkling. Her lips twisted into a small smile. Motioning him towards her, she  
stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear.  
"You're my ice cream."  
Straightening, he frowned, his mind going back to the conversation between he and  
Gerald.  
  
"You should hear her and Phoebe go on about ice cream," Gerald told him. "It's almost  
like she's obsessed with the stuff.   
No wonder she never had a boyfriend."  
  
Understanding flooded into his eyes. She stood there, waiting for him to realize what  
she'd just told him.   
"You mean..."  
She raised an eyebrow. "I love you?"  
Grinning like a loon, he scooped her into a fierce hug, burying his face in her hair.   
"I love you Helga Pataki," he told her. "I've loved you since sixth grade."  
She laughed. "Only since sixth? I've got you beat, then."  
Pulling back, he kissed her again, loving the feel of her melting into him.  
"I'm not normally this dense." he said, after they had parted the second time.  
She laughed again. "Yes. You are."  
Taking her hand, he led her towards the door leading back into the boarding house.   
"I had one more surprise. I rented Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. If you still want to  
watch them.  
She gasped. "I love those movies. Who told you?"  
He shook his head, as they entered his room. Tomorrow, he was going to have a long  
talk with Gerald. Tonight, he was going to enjoy this new part of his life.  
  
  
The End 


End file.
